Taxi Driver: Since I am a mere farang is this land, I have no vested electoral interests. Maybe, we could try out each of the proposed systems in a different region of Thailand? That would also support HP Boothe idea of conducting hypotheses-based scientific experiments in Thai society. As for the FaRT movement–do I understand it correctly that participants will not shout and scream, like the PAD, put let farts do the persuasion? This is going to be a truly stinky affair, then. Good night.
But Patiwat the whole point of my system is that people who want more Na have to pay for it through taxes, the proceeds of which goes towards building better schools, funding healthcare, building better roads, etc., etc. The King, I’m sure, will not mind that the CPB will have to pay taxes just like everyone else. Afterall, the tax-free money the CPB currently earns already goes towards benefiting the country doesn’t it? All I’m proposing is a change in the way the money is collected (through the income tax system instead of through the CPB). It’ll be so much more democractic, which our pro-populace HMK surely would support!
As for you Mr Andrew Walker, you fell right into my devious trap: your highlighting of your First Class honors simply confirms my suspicions about your evil plan. Know this: FaRT will be resisted. I will organise an anti-FaRT protest movement the likes of which Thailand and the PAD has never seen. I’ll call it “Rich people against Farangs with University Knowledge”, or “RichFUKs” for short.
Srithanonchai, my system also solves the vote buying problem so don’t bother listening to those CDA losers. My system makes it un-worthwhile for the politico-mafioso to buy the megre votes of those dumb peasants and their wives from Burirum and elsewhere, because one high-income person with lots of Nas can out-vote six million of those buffalo-driving ignoramuses anyway.
Please give my system serious thought. It already works perfectly in the corporate world (shareholders with most shares gets most votes). Unless, of course, you academic lot are resisting my idea because you are not high income earners and thus will lose out under my system. In which case please remember the plea of certain other bloggers here to “act in the interest on the country, not for yourselves”.
“The whole thing is a mixture of globalisation, capitalism, and entrepreneurial spirit.” >> Yes, but as we are told all the time, sufficiency economy and the above are no contradictions! In fact, sufficiency economy makes g, c, and es work better.
The shamelessness (kwahm nah dahn) with which this is somehow attributed to sufficiency economy amazes me. The whole thing is a mixture of globalisation, capitalism, and entrepreneurial spirit.
You also have the paying of recipes which adds a touch of intellectual property to the whole thing.
In the end, the sufficiency economy will also solve this problem. In a debate at the CDA, Chermsak Pinthong had complained that Thai politics could not advance as long as the patronage system still persisted. Then, he added that he did not know how to solve this problem, because it pervaded all of Thai society, not merely politics.
That’s were the suggestion of another CDA member, Aphichart Damdee, comes in. He suggested that the sufficiency economy should be enshrined in the constitution, i.e. its section on basic state policies. This was necessary, because the sufficiency economy would not only immunize the economy. It could also protect small capital in society. It will bring about balance among community capital, national-level capital, and international capital.
Most importantly, it will also provide for political immunization that will enable people to depend on themselves, and not fall prey to the protective patronage system of the vote-buying politicians (Krungthep Thurakit, February 20, 2007, p. 15).
My proposition is that there are too many Burma marketing campaigns which attempt to highlight atrocities and create a label for Burmese as eternal victims; keeping handbags and trinkets cheap in Oxfam shops everywhere.
If as you say, Christianity is not pulling the strings behind the Chin’s political endeavors, there should not be collusion between the two groups made by Ben Rogers. What about Chin Buddhists? or Chin Animists…? or even Chin Taoists!?
It is not my intention to suggest a blind eye should be turned in regards to the Junta and ethnic cleansing; more that nationality for Burmese should be for Burmese (irrespective of ethnicity or religious choice –> http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html#Article%201.1) and not bleeding heart Christians from Durham. I am not against empathy or compassion, simply dilution of international relations through agenda driven atrocity reports.
PS… I have just discovered your blog and have added the feed. Looks good! Thanks ๐
But Taxi Driver, the King’s CPB income isn’t taxable, according to the ัโะฎัโะณัโโัโะณัโโัโะัโะชัโโัโะัโะัโโัโะฅัโโค ัโะัโโัโะคัโะณัโโัโฃะัโะชัโโกัโะฒัโะชัโะงัโะณัโโัโะฎัโะฒัโฃะัโะบัโโคัโะฉ ัโะญัโฃะัโโัโะฒัโะฎัโะณัโโัโะฑัโะปัโโัโะัโะนัโโัโะฅัโะณัโโคัโะฒ. So he’d have to rely on his much lower personal-investment-derived income in order to exercise any political power.
He’d be much more powerful under Andrew’s system: after all, he is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as having the most honorable degrees.
I agree. First you try the more subtle approach, and if that doesn’t pass muster you bring on the tanks. CNS beat Thaksin to the punch, this time. It’s almost impossible to teach either of these mongrels any new tricks!
[…] puppet envoy on sufficiency economy Somkid Jatusripitak has cut his strings and resigned. But he still wants to serve his country. Perhaps he could join the […]
Clearly, Andrew Walker, you were NOT born on a Saturday. And to criticise my proposal as not being in accordance with today’s democratic spirit whilst promoting some education-based system is simply the height of hypocrisy. I can see through your plans, Andrew: you’re planning to move to Thailand, become a Thai citizen, rely on your BA(Hons) and PhD from the ANU (a good name foreign university) to achieve two squillion “Na”s, and use your connections with Prof. Ian Chubb (ANU VC) to confer honorary degrees to all your mates so they can vote your into power (maybe your party can be called FaRT, for “Farangs Rak Thai”). You’ve been busted, fella, we’re on to you and your evil plan will never work!
OK, seeing that only 21Jan, his wife and me are ever going to vote for my Saturday system (we are victims of the tyranny of the majority on non-Saturday-borns), let me propose another alternative system that I believe really solves all the problems: This is the system based on your declared income level.
Let me explain.
Under my new proposal, everyone’s voting power will be based on his/her declared taxable income, as lodged in an annual tax return. The higher the declared income, the more “Na”s one earns and the more votes one’s entitled. This elegantly solves the problem of people falsifying their education, day of birth, or location of birth to get more votes. If you want to earn more Nas and you’re really entitled, you’ll have to falsify your income UPWARD, which means you have to pay more taxes! If you want to falsify your income downwards (to avoid paying tax, as many Jeks in Sampeng do) then the cost to you is less “Na”s to your name.
And to pre-empt the howls from those Thaksin-haters that under my proposal Thaksin will get the most Nas, may I remind them that it would in fact be his maid and chauffer that will earn the Nas, not Thaksin (OK so his wife and children will earn Nas too, but heck they surely weren’t responsible for the extrajudicial killings of drug criminals were they?). Moreover, they and the Royalists should remember that the King is in fact the highest income earner in the country, so he’ll remain on top.
As for the dumb farmer’s wife from Buriram, well she earns only 8000 a month so there’s no threat of the likes of her getting too many Nas. And if we’re worried that she might, then we can simply cut her wage and put her back in her place.
Perfect, really. In fact its close to the status quo as it is, except that many of the politico-mafioso and generals will now have lodge truthful income tax returns and pay their fair share of taxes to maintain their Nas.
Dont forget, those with bestowed title and surname should also get extra vote multiplier.
After all, they/their ancestor had truely uphold the good of Thai by crossed sword with Burma or other enemy.
And dont forget GPA. Truely, you cannot tell that a barely flunk student have the same vote as a honorary degree student.
Also those who vote for Thaksin last year should get penalty negative multiplier. But that penalty is level out if they joined PAD rally or give flower to soldier.
Growing pains? So ethnic cleansing is a right of passage for new nations? I’m a bit confused as to who you are referring to with the “Burmese self-determination”. Is that self-determination for the Chin people, or the whole of Burma?
I get the impression you are conflating western Christians and Chin Christians. The Chin are indigenous people in Burma, and it’s certianly reasonable to expect that the Burman push for Buddhism is in response to fears of Christianity undermining the government’s authority. That does not negate the rights of the Chin people to practice the religion that forms an integral part of their ethnic/national identity, nor to live free of human rights abuses. Are you positing that missionaries a hundred years ago deliberately fomented the future Chin insurgency by converting them? Chin leaders and civil society groups are calling for reconciliation and self-determination within a federal system, not independence. And there are no western Christians or Christian groups pulling the strings behind the Chin political movements, I assure you. A quick google search and some reading would prove that. The situation in Shan, Mon, and Arakan States would seem to indicate that religion is an important but not determining factor in the junta’s relations with the ethnic states.
Christian identities in Burma do pose a threat to a homogenous Burmese state, but as such a state is not possible without persistent human rights violations and “Burmanization”, how could rational humans purport to support such an outcome over the alternative of reconciliation and eventual development of a multi-ethnic federal Burma? Destructive Western elements did not come up with this alternative, Burmese citizens did. Of course this alternative is equally challenging, but what you seem to be proposing is to turn a blind eye to the whole situation until the junta succeeds in destroying all opposition (read: ethnic minorities) and builds a utopian Buddhist nation ruled by disclipined democracy.
[…] the spirit of constitutional reform, several New Mandala readers have proposed alternative voting systems that would prevent the undue exercise of electoral power by the rural majority. The tyranny of the […]
21 Jan.: Sorry, I completely forgot about that vital “HP-test score”. In that case, things will get even easier, because nobody exept himself can pass this test. And he is not even Thai, I assume. So, no election at all. A lot of expenses and fuss will be saved this way. ๐
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New Sakdina
Taxi Driver: Since I am a mere farang is this land, I have no vested electoral interests. Maybe, we could try out each of the proposed systems in a different region of Thailand? That would also support HP Boothe idea of conducting hypotheses-based scientific experiments in Thai society. As for the FaRT movement–do I understand it correctly that participants will not shout and scream, like the PAD, put let farts do the persuasion? This is going to be a truly stinky affair, then. Good night.
New Sakdina
But Patiwat the whole point of my system is that people who want more Na have to pay for it through taxes, the proceeds of which goes towards building better schools, funding healthcare, building better roads, etc., etc. The King, I’m sure, will not mind that the CPB will have to pay taxes just like everyone else. Afterall, the tax-free money the CPB currently earns already goes towards benefiting the country doesn’t it? All I’m proposing is a change in the way the money is collected (through the income tax system instead of through the CPB). It’ll be so much more democractic, which our pro-populace HMK surely would support!
As for you Mr Andrew Walker, you fell right into my devious trap: your highlighting of your First Class honors simply confirms my suspicions about your evil plan. Know this: FaRT will be resisted. I will organise an anti-FaRT protest movement the likes of which Thailand and the PAD has never seen. I’ll call it “Rich people against Farangs with University Knowledge”, or “RichFUKs” for short.
Srithanonchai, my system also solves the vote buying problem so don’t bother listening to those CDA losers. My system makes it un-worthwhile for the politico-mafioso to buy the megre votes of those dumb peasants and their wives from Burirum and elsewhere, because one high-income person with lots of Nas can out-vote six million of those buffalo-driving ignoramuses anyway.
Please give my system serious thought. It already works perfectly in the corporate world (shareholders with most shares gets most votes). Unless, of course, you academic lot are resisting my idea because you are not high income earners and thus will lose out under my system. In which case please remember the plea of certain other bloggers here to “act in the interest on the country, not for yourselves”.
Good night.
Somkid, sandwiches and sufficiency
“The whole thing is a mixture of globalisation, capitalism, and entrepreneurial spirit.” >> Yes, but as we are told all the time, sufficiency economy and the above are no contradictions! In fact, sufficiency economy makes g, c, and es work better.
Somkid, sandwiches and sufficiency
The shamelessness (kwahm nah dahn) with which this is somehow attributed to sufficiency economy amazes me. The whole thing is a mixture of globalisation, capitalism, and entrepreneurial spirit.
You also have the paying of recipes which adds a touch of intellectual property to the whole thing.
New Sakdina
In the end, the sufficiency economy will also solve this problem. In a debate at the CDA, Chermsak Pinthong had complained that Thai politics could not advance as long as the patronage system still persisted. Then, he added that he did not know how to solve this problem, because it pervaded all of Thai society, not merely politics.
That’s were the suggestion of another CDA member, Aphichart Damdee, comes in. He suggested that the sufficiency economy should be enshrined in the constitution, i.e. its section on basic state policies. This was necessary, because the sufficiency economy would not only immunize the economy. It could also protect small capital in society. It will bring about balance among community capital, national-level capital, and international capital.
Most importantly, it will also provide for political immunization that will enable people to depend on themselves, and not fall prey to the protective patronage system of the vote-buying politicians (Krungthep Thurakit, February 20, 2007, p. 15).
It may take some time, though…
New Sakdina
I think the fairest thing would be to introduce electronic/computerised voting and let the computer experts decide who wins the election.
No need for a sakdina system, and the nerds will be able to prove that everything was fair.
New Sakdina
Does the King have a PhD?
PhD holders should be considered demi-gods and reveared beyond the constraints of electoral madness.
New Sakdina
Taxi Driver – in fact it was a BA Hons (First Class)! That would have to earn me even more New Sakdina points! Go back to your cab!
New Sakdina
The king is above politics. So this whole system does not apply to him. His source of influence doesn’t depend on votes.
“Carrying the Cross”: Christians and Burma
My proposition is that there are too many Burma marketing campaigns which attempt to highlight atrocities and create a label for Burmese as eternal victims; keeping handbags and trinkets cheap in Oxfam shops everywhere.
If as you say, Christianity is not pulling the strings behind the Chin’s political endeavors, there should not be collusion between the two groups made by Ben Rogers. What about Chin Buddhists? or Chin Animists…? or even Chin Taoists!?
It is not my intention to suggest a blind eye should be turned in regards to the Junta and ethnic cleansing; more that nationality for Burmese should be for Burmese (irrespective of ethnicity or religious choice –> http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html#Article%201.1) and not bleeding heart Christians from Durham. I am not against empathy or compassion, simply dilution of international relations through agenda driven atrocity reports.
PS… I have just discovered your blog and have added the feed. Looks good! Thanks ๐
New Sakdina
But Taxi Driver, the King’s CPB income isn’t taxable, according to the ัโะฎัโะณัโโัโะณัโโัโะัโะชัโโัโะัโะัโโัโะฅัโโค ัโะัโโัโะคัโะณัโโัโฃะัโะชัโโกัโะฒัโะชัโะงัโะณัโโัโะฎัโะฒัโฃะัโะบัโโคัโะฉ ัโะญัโฃะัโโัโะฒัโะฎัโะณัโโัโะฑัโะปัโโัโะัโะนัโโัโะฅัโะณัโโคัโะฒ. So he’d have to rely on his much lower personal-investment-derived income in order to exercise any political power.
He’d be much more powerful under Andrew’s system: after all, he is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as having the most honorable degrees.
Anek – smarter than Thaksin!
I agree. First you try the more subtle approach, and if that doesn’t pass muster you bring on the tanks. CNS beat Thaksin to the punch, this time. It’s almost impossible to teach either of these mongrels any new tricks!
In sufficient clothing
Now a National Human Rights Commissioner weighs in: it’s a violation!
Nothing to do with politics
[…] puppet envoy on sufficiency economy Somkid Jatusripitak has cut his strings and resigned. But he still wants to serve his country. Perhaps he could join the […]
New Sakdina
Clearly, Andrew Walker, you were NOT born on a Saturday. And to criticise my proposal as not being in accordance with today’s democratic spirit whilst promoting some education-based system is simply the height of hypocrisy. I can see through your plans, Andrew: you’re planning to move to Thailand, become a Thai citizen, rely on your BA(Hons) and PhD from the ANU (a good name foreign university) to achieve two squillion “Na”s, and use your connections with Prof. Ian Chubb (ANU VC) to confer honorary degrees to all your mates so they can vote your into power (maybe your party can be called FaRT, for “Farangs Rak Thai”). You’ve been busted, fella, we’re on to you and your evil plan will never work!
OK, seeing that only 21Jan, his wife and me are ever going to vote for my Saturday system (we are victims of the tyranny of the majority on non-Saturday-borns), let me propose another alternative system that I believe really solves all the problems: This is the system based on your declared income level.
Let me explain.
Under my new proposal, everyone’s voting power will be based on his/her declared taxable income, as lodged in an annual tax return. The higher the declared income, the more “Na”s one earns and the more votes one’s entitled. This elegantly solves the problem of people falsifying their education, day of birth, or location of birth to get more votes. If you want to earn more Nas and you’re really entitled, you’ll have to falsify your income UPWARD, which means you have to pay more taxes! If you want to falsify your income downwards (to avoid paying tax, as many Jeks in Sampeng do) then the cost to you is less “Na”s to your name.
And to pre-empt the howls from those Thaksin-haters that under my proposal Thaksin will get the most Nas, may I remind them that it would in fact be his maid and chauffer that will earn the Nas, not Thaksin (OK so his wife and children will earn Nas too, but heck they surely weren’t responsible for the extrajudicial killings of drug criminals were they?). Moreover, they and the Royalists should remember that the King is in fact the highest income earner in the country, so he’ll remain on top.
As for the dumb farmer’s wife from Buriram, well she earns only 8000 a month so there’s no threat of the likes of her getting too many Nas. And if we’re worried that she might, then we can simply cut her wage and put her back in her place.
Perfect, really. In fact its close to the status quo as it is, except that many of the politico-mafioso and generals will now have lodge truthful income tax returns and pay their fair share of taxes to maintain their Nas.
New Sakdina
Beautiful! Should be applied everywhere!
New Sakdina
Dont forget, those with bestowed title and surname should also get extra vote multiplier.
After all, they/their ancestor had truely uphold the good of Thai by crossed sword with Burma or other enemy.
And dont forget GPA. Truely, you cannot tell that a barely flunk student have the same vote as a honorary degree student.
Also those who vote for Thaksin last year should get penalty negative multiplier. But that penalty is level out if they joined PAD rally or give flower to soldier.
“Carrying the Cross”: Christians and Burma
Growing pains? So ethnic cleansing is a right of passage for new nations? I’m a bit confused as to who you are referring to with the “Burmese self-determination”. Is that self-determination for the Chin people, or the whole of Burma?
I get the impression you are conflating western Christians and Chin Christians. The Chin are indigenous people in Burma, and it’s certianly reasonable to expect that the Burman push for Buddhism is in response to fears of Christianity undermining the government’s authority. That does not negate the rights of the Chin people to practice the religion that forms an integral part of their ethnic/national identity, nor to live free of human rights abuses. Are you positing that missionaries a hundred years ago deliberately fomented the future Chin insurgency by converting them? Chin leaders and civil society groups are calling for reconciliation and self-determination within a federal system, not independence. And there are no western Christians or Christian groups pulling the strings behind the Chin political movements, I assure you. A quick google search and some reading would prove that. The situation in Shan, Mon, and Arakan States would seem to indicate that religion is an important but not determining factor in the junta’s relations with the ethnic states.
Christian identities in Burma do pose a threat to a homogenous Burmese state, but as such a state is not possible without persistent human rights violations and “Burmanization”, how could rational humans purport to support such an outcome over the alternative of reconciliation and eventual development of a multi-ethnic federal Burma? Destructive Western elements did not come up with this alternative, Burmese citizens did. Of course this alternative is equally challenging, but what you seem to be proposing is to turn a blind eye to the whole situation until the junta succeeds in destroying all opposition (read: ethnic minorities) and builds a utopian Buddhist nation ruled by disclipined democracy.
Sore loser
[…] the spirit of constitutional reform, several New Mandala readers have proposed alternative voting systems that would prevent the undue exercise of electoral power by the rural majority. The tyranny of the […]
Sore loser
21 Jan.: Sorry, I completely forgot about that vital “HP-test score”. In that case, things will get even easier, because nobody exept himself can pass this test. And he is not even Thai, I assume. So, no election at all. A lot of expenses and fuss will be saved this way. ๐